


riding shotgun underneath the hot sun

by askmeaboutmyoctopustheory



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Equestrian, Gratuitous Use of Horse Jargon, Horse Shows, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-01 12:41:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17867465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/askmeaboutmyoctopustheory/pseuds/askmeaboutmyoctopustheory
Summary: Equestrian AU between two unlikely competitors.Horse show shenanigans, drama, and the tensions that go along





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> alriiiiiiiiiiighty yall
> 
> so disclaimer: I rode horses from ages 6-21, I might use a lot of jargon, i might get too caught up in poetics about horses, and you might get a little bit of my biases in here.
> 
> please hit me up on twitter @_AMAMOT!

 

“Next up, number 295, Markus Manfred riding Thunder Blossom!”

 

Less than a minute later, Markus exited the ring atop the fiery pinto mustang. He slid out of the saddle and patted her neck vigorously. 

 

“Markus Manfred, No faults! Time of 58.6 seconds”

“Markus that was great! She looked amazing!” 

 

“Thanks North.”   
  
Markus hugged his friend and coworker at the compliment. They were more like brother and sister, but worked together at Jericho stables. Markus’ father Carl owned the stables, but handed the reins over to Markus when an accident bound him to a wheelchair. Wanting to keep his father involved, Markus began doing Equine Assisted Therapy at the stables to help others with limited mobility. From there, he started a program to pair at-risk youth from Detroit with abused horses. He had a motley crew of horses and co-trainers, but they all loved the animals and their students. Today, however, was a rare occasion when they went to a horse show. 

 

The mustang had come to Markus skittish and wild-eyed. The mare was chestnut and white splotched, with a lopsided wide blaze on her face, giving her two different colored eyes. Given that he also had heterochromia, Markus fell in love instantly. 

 

“I think I’m gonna put her in an afternoon class, just for the hell of it.” Markus said, still riding a high from his clear round. 

 

“You? Riding in hunters?” North asked incredulously.

 

The two types of horse jumping were Hunters and Show Jumpers. Hunters were subjectively judged on poise, elegance, and style. Jumpers were simply timed. There was often contention between the two disciplines, but crossover was not uncommon. Due to the mustang’s bold coloring and restless nature, she was more suited to be ridden in the jumpers.

 

“Like I said, for the hell of it. Give her some more time in the show ring.”

 

“True. Let’s untack her and give her a second to drink and rest while you sign up for more classes.”

 

Markus slid the bridle out off of her head and reattached her halter and leadrope that tied her to the horse trailer, sliding the saddle off and wiping off the sweat marks from the morning. North unwrapped the fleece polo wraps on the mare’s legs that acted as a sort of splint for the horses fragile legs.

 

“I’m gonna video this so that there’s evidence of you doing  _ hunters _ ” North said as they walked to the registration table. The jumpers portion of the show was over, the staff breaking for lunch before hunters.

 

“C’mon North it’s not that unbelievable” Markus was just met with a raised eyebrow as they joined the class registration line.

 

“Well well well, if it isn’t Detroit’s favorite  _ charity _ . You gonna panhandle for your entrance fee?” A sneering voice came from behind them.

 

Elijah Kamski was the head trainer at the fanciest stable in the area. CyberStables was owned by Amanda Stern, who had owned a huge tech company before retiring. She made sure the stables had all of the latest technology for horse training and care. Elijah was said to be rather ruthless with his training regime, but it was Amanda who was really in charge. 

 

“Excuse you, just because we cater to some less fortunate audiences doesn’t make us a charity.”

 

Elijah scoffed and opened his mouth to retort, but he was cut off by a look by a man who had just joined him in line. Connor Anderson was Elijah’s star pupil and had competed in nationally ranked shows. He and Markus had once been casual friends, back in their pony hunters days. But as competition and priorities changed, they rarely saw each other anymore. Connor knew he was extremely lucky that his mother’s will had provided enough for himself and his twin brother to ride with Elijah, but he greatly admired what Markus did at Jericho. He gave the other man a small smile from behind his trainer.

 

“Connor.” Markus said with a nod.

 

“Hello Markus”

 

\------

 

“Oh my  _ GOD _ ! Are you really riding that  _ thing  _ in hunters??” Elijah shouted in disbelief as Markus entered the warm-up ring on Blossom.

 

Markus ignored him and started off letting the mare walk on a loose rein. He was surprised when Connor rode up to him, holding his long-legged Dutch Warmblood in a short walk to be next to Markus.

 

“Haven’t been in a class with you for awhile” Connor said with a grin. 

 

Markus blinked, when had his voice gotten so hot? “Uh, yeah. I don’t show much anymore and usually my horses are better suited for jumpers.”

 

“Well, good to have you back.” And Connor rode off.

 

As Markus began working Blossom through the gaits and warming her up for classes, he watched Connor out of the corner of his eye. He rode a huge bay warmblood gelding with white socks and a white star on his forehead. The horse moved fluidly and Connor’s hand and leg aides were almost invisible to even Markus’ trained eye. He signaled to North to come into the ring to set up the warm-up jump. She gave Elijah a nasty look before setting the jump into a small crossrail, two rails that made an X to be jumped at the lowest point. Blossom overjumped the small jump, bolted and bucked upon landing. Markus made a tight circle to slow her while ignoring the laugh he heard from Elijah. He watched as Connor jumped it with the lazy perfection that was required for a hunters rider. North and Elijah took turns raising the jump until it was the height that the jumps would be in the class.

 

“She looks great, Mark. Lets go look at your course!” North called out.

 

She patted the hot-headed mustang vigorously and walked over to where the course diagram was posted. The jumps had to be performed in a certain order, going off course meant instant disqualification and excusal from the area with a ‘thank you, rider’ from the announcer.

 

“Oh this shit’s easy! I forgot that!” 

 

She was right, the jump patterns in Hunters were often much simpler and less complex than in Jumpers. Markus had the course memorized within a few minutes and went to ride around at a walk to keep Blossom moving.  He was once again surprised by a large bay appearing next to him. 

 

“How’s your dad?” Connor asked, having known Carl from their early showing days, but knew about his accident.

 

“He’s good. Still rides a few times a week.”

 

“That’s great! Horses are therapeutic” Connor smiled warmly and Markus got lost in the warm brown eyes staring back at him.

 

“Yeah totally. How about your dad? He still in the force? And Nines?” Markus asked, bringing up Connors brother’s old nickname.

 

“They’re great. Hank’s still in the force, lieutenant now. And Niles went into dressage, didn’t want to get too competitive with me.” Connor laughed. He looked over at the smaller pinto horse, for the first time noticing a distinct branding on her neck. “Oh wow, she’s a mustang?”

 

“Yeah. Came from Nevada and didn’t let anyone touch her for 3 months.” Markus reached down to scratch Blossom. Some people in the Hunters discipline thought that certain breeds weren’t good enough to compete against the fancy warmbloods and imported stallions. “Eventually she let me pet her and touch her neck, so i grabbed her mane and pulled myself up onto her bareback.”

  
“I’m guessing you didn’t last long!?” Connor’s eyebrows shot up as he listened to the reckless story.

 

“Nah I was in the dirt a second later. I don’t know what had come over me in that moment. But we started saddle breaking her and one night she jumped out of her pasture so we figured we should put that into something productive.

 

Connor laughed again, impressed by the other’s ability to take a wild animal and tame it into something that was competing there today.

 

“He’s beautiful.” Connor startled, his heart doing a jump until he realized Markus was gesturing to his horse.

 

“Oh. Thanks, this is Dante.”

 

Connor paused, as if to continue speaking but his thoughts were cut off by the loudspeaker calling their class to the in-gate.

 

“Well. I’ll see you two later!”   
  
“Good luck Markus”


	2. Chapter 2

“And in a tie for first place today in Young Professional’s Medal, 293 and 246, Markus Manfred and Connor Anderson, riding Thunder Blossom and Dante’s Inferno”   


  
“WHAT?!” Elijah and North both shouted incredulously.

 

North looked up at Markus on Blossom with wide eyes and a gleefully gaping mouth. Markus shrugged and shook his head, equally confused. Blossom had performed wonderfully, performing lead changes with ease and not giving any temper. Apparently the judge had thought they were on par with Connor.

 

“Hey dude, congrats! Does this mean I’ll be seeing more of you in the afternoons here?” Connor said, walking past leading Dante. 

 

“I don’t know -”   
  
“Yes we will be.” North interjected. “I’m not letting this pass up. Also good to see ya Connor, probably don’t remember me”

 

“North you once screamed obscenities during a pony hunters flat class when we were kids of course I remember.” 

 

“Man those were the days. You got any kids at the barn doing ponies now?”

 

“Yeah, actually one little girl who rides my old pony. You guys remember the little grey Welsh named Pandora?” Connor grinned as the others nodded. “Well I better be off, I haven’t seen Eli’s face that red since I fell off last year at Pebble Beach. See you around.”

“North what the fuck.” Markus said as they loaded up the last of their tack a bit later. “Why did you say I’d keep competing against him?”   
  
“Well first of all, it’s hilarious. I mean we entered today just for shits and giggles but we can all agree that Blossom isn’t exactly the prototypical hunters horse.” North gestured into the trailer where the mustang was happily munching hay. “Second of all, I’ve known you my whole life and let me just say you aren’t as subtle as you think.”

 

Markus sputtered his protest and ignored North as she drove the truck and trailer back to Jericho. He unloaded Blossom and fed her some oats, checking over her legs for any bumps or nicks. The mustang turned her head, chewing sloppily and dribbling her grain over his head. Markus laughed and scratched her neck, which she leaned into.

 

“Well I guess if I’m going to start competing more, might as well bring some others along.” Markus said, sitting on his tack trunk outside her stall as he saw North walking in the barn doors. 

 

“That’d be fun. Adam could probably do pony hunters on Snickers.” North paused, thinking. “Maybe Ralph could do low jumpers?”   
  
“Adam for sure. Ralph could probably ride Arrow in jumpers. We’ll see how they ride this next week and maybe take ‘em to the show next weekend.”

 

\--------

 

“Carl, I tied in a class with Connor Anderson today.” Markus told his adoptive father later that evening over dinner.

 

“That’s wonderful, son. I’m glad you reconnected with him.” Carl said, in his soothing manner that had calmed many a junior rider or pregnant mare. 

 

“I entered the class on a whim and did pretty well. We think we’re going to take a few of the more advanced students from the program to next week’s show.”

 

“You’ll be able to impress Connor with your teaching and mentoring.” Carl’s eyes glittered with laugher as Markus sputtered. “And it will be wonderful for the program.”

\--------

 

True to his word, Markus had two of his most senior students in the back of the truck as North pulled into the stable hosting the horse show. His classes were first, the other students riding later in the afternoon. The trailer parking area was already bustling with riders getting dressed and horses being brushed to gleam in the summer afternoon light. They drove past CyberStable’s massive chrome’d out trailer with Connor brushing Dante’s tail next to it. He waved at them when he saw their trailer pulling in.

 

“Ralph, Adam, please help North with unloading and getting the horses settled. I’ll go sign up for classes.”

 

Markus made his way to the registration booth and got in line to register himself and his students. He joined the trailing line of exhibitors waiting to sign up, looking over at the show arena to get a peek at the jumps.

 

“Glad you made it.” Connor’s smooth voice startled Markus. “Sorry, a bit skittish are we?”

 

“Hey Connor, figured I might as well give this my best shot since I did ok last time.” 

 

Markus smiled and Connor felt his heart thump in his chest. Now that they weren’t on horseback, he could see that Markus was a bit taller than him and had the broad shoulders that came from hauling hay bales. His legs were defined and he had the trademark bubble butt of a hardcore rider.  And his eyes, the two colored pupils made Connor weak in the knees every time. 

 

“You did great.” Connor reassured him and then noticed the paperwork in his hand. “Did you bring some of your students today?”

 

“Yeah a few of the kids from the program who have shown some real progress. How about you?”   
  
“Well best of luck to them, they might be competing against our pony rider Alice!”

 

“Well good luck to you and her too!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kd;klsfja i'm trying not to make this too horse jargon-y and remember that theres some actual plot here and to interject the romance lmao
> 
> thank you for reading, kudos and comments make my day!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lots of flowery descriptions of horses and riding ahead oops

For this show, since he knew they would be doing hunters, Markus had put extra effort into Blossom’s grooming that week so that she had a natural shine to her coat. He had given her a bath and applied baby powder to her white spots so the pinto coloring was more striking. He had thinned out her mane and trimmed her forelock to make her look neater and put nourishing oil on her hoofs every day to make them look their best. As she stood with her immaculately cleaned tack and beautiful grooming in the summer sun, Markus could see that his hard work had paid off. It wouldn’t be enough to convince the purists like Elijah that they belonged in ‘their’ competition, but it showed that they were taking this seriously. Even if it had started out as a joke. 

 

“North can you help me warm up? Boys, you can go to the ring to watch or watch the warm up. Let Arrow and Snickers eat for a little bit and get settled.” Markus pulled his helmet on and unclipped Blossom.

 

After North gave him a boost onto the mustang’s back, they walked over to the warm-up ring to start prepping for the class. Markus wanted to give Blossom a long warm up, giving her time to relax before the class and giving him time to center himself mentally. Apparently he wasn’t the only one with this idea, because he saw Connor walking Dante on a long rein around the warm-up ring. 

 

“You guys can stay out here for now, I’ll let you know when I need ya to build jumps.” Markus told North, somewhat distracted by the other rider. He trotted off towards Connor, pulling up beside Dante. “Hey, Connor.”

 

“Hello again Markus. I see you had the same idea to avoid the crowded warm up ring.”

 

“Guilty. Especially since she’s new to the horse show scene.” Markus gestured to the mare. “Hopefully she’ll behave like last time.”   
  
“I’m sure she will.” Connor’s eyes sparkled as he smiled reassuringly. “Tell me about the others riding from Jericho today.”   
  
“Well we have Ralph and Adam. They’re both kids who have had a little bit of a rough upbringing. But they’ve really flourished in the program, and hopefully bringing them here will inspire the other students to put in more effort.” 

 

Markus lit up when he talked about his students, gesturing with his hands and accidentally dropping his reins for a moment. He could tell that Connor was asking because he was actually interested, not as a formality. Connor’s eyes were wide and curious as he listened to Markus ramble about the horses and students for the therapeutic riding program and the at-risk children’s program.

 

“I don’t know if I’ve said it, but I really think what you’re doing is incredible.” Connor said earnestly. “It takes a special person to deal with wild horses and even wilder kids.”   
  


“I-It’s not that big of a deal.” Markus stammered and flushed. He fiddled with the crop in his hands and looked everywhere but the amber eyes looking back at him. “You should come by sometime, we can always use more volunteers for the kids.”   
  
“Really? You’d let me?”   
  
Markus barked a laugh “Of course I’d ’let’ a fantastic rider like you come and volunteer at our little stable.”

 

“I’d like that.” Connor said quietly. The loudspeaker crackled in the distance, announcing the placings for a different class. “We should probably start actually warming up, huh?”

 

“See ya in the ring, Anderson.”   
  


\------

 

Markus got a little too much joy when he saw Elijah’s sour face as he walked up to the show ring on Blossom. What they were doing wasn’t against any rules or regulations, just odd for some of the strict purists. Blossom was young and feisty and combined with her odd breed and coloring, brought a certain diversity to the hunters ring. Markus took a deep breath before nodding to the gate attendant to go in for his round.

 

A hunters course can be a choreographed dance if done correctly. A sweeping courtesy circle to allow the judge to mark down your number and prepare for the course. Simple combinations across the diagonal. Long lines down the outside. Lead change over the single oxer. Finishing circle after the last jump to signify the end of your judging period. 

 

Markus grinned as he exited the arena after another faultless round. Blossom had tossed her head a bit and perhaps had a bit too much energy for a traditional hunters class, but she had performed beautifully. The mare nuzzled at his blazer, looking for a peppermint but had to settle for a pat on the nose instead. Markus started walking back to the trailer, Blossom following him lazily.

 

“Aren’t you going to stay to hear the placings?” North asked, jogging up next to him.

 

“I’m gonna go help Ralph and Adam get ready, let me know if I place!”

 

Back at the trailer, Adam was brushing the knots out of Snickers’ tail. The large buckskin pony was a rescue from an auction. His sleepy and gentle disposition made him a favorite amongst the therapeutic riding students. Adam was able to light a fire under the pony and get him moving. The young rider had grown up with a single mother in downtown detroit. Without a male figure in his life, he had fallen into the wrong crowd until his mother signed him up for Jericho’s program. Markus had the pair in a few of the lower hunters classes and a flat equitation class today.

 

On the other side, Ralph was saddling up Aerosmith, or Arrow as she was known at the barn. The grey thoroughbred had been bought off the racetrack and was skittish and flighty. Standing at 17 hands tall, the mare could intimidate any rider. Ralph had surprised everyone when he bonded with the scared ex-racehorse. Ralph was a teenager who had grown up in foster care after an abusive home situation left him physically and emotionally scarred. His social worker had recommended him to the program and the boy spent several nights a week in one of Carl’s many spare rooms. Any of the riders were welcome to stay at the house, no questions asked. Markus felt a swell of pride when he saw Ralph patiently let Arrow put her head down for the bridle, only to jerk it out of way again.

 

“Massage behind her ears Ralph, it’ll help her put her head down.”   
  


Once the horses were tacked up and the boys turned out in their ties and jackets, Markus gave them a boost up onto the horses back and they were off to the warm-up. Markus’ pristine breeches and show shirt were now rumpled and he had rags and a hoof pick in a fanny pack. The life of a show rider was glamourous, the life of a coach was not so much. Kids and teens of all shapes and sizes on mounts of similar variety were bustling their way around the warm up ring. Markus nodded to his students to start walking and joined the mass of coaches barking orders from the center of the ring. 

 

“Hey Connor. You coaching the little ones?” Markus stood next to a familiar brunette.

 

“Hey there, congrats on the class!”   
  


“Oh I totally forgot. Did I place?”   
  


Connor laughed and his eyes scrunched “You could say that, you got second! Not bad for your second time around in a while!”

 

“Well I’m assuming I owe you congrats on first place?” Markus scratched his head awkwardly at Connor’s puppy-like enthusiasm.

 

“Nah it went to that Chloe girl from the college team. I got third though.”

 

“Congrats though! It was a big class, placing is an accomplishment no matter what. And you’re guaranteed a spot in the year-end finals since you won last year anyway.”   
  
Connor blushed a bit and looked away, nodding his head towards a small girl on a pony. “You recognize the little fleabitten grey?” 

 

“Pandora?”

 

“Yep. Little girl is named Alice and she’s a little spitfire.” Indeed, the girl had a determined look in her eye as she kicked the stubborn pony furiously. 

 

“Looks like it.” Markus laughed. He looked over and saw his own students warming up and navigating the ring with ease. “I’ll talk later, Connor.”

 

“See you at the ring, Manfred” Connor replied, but his heart skipped at the wink he was thrown. “Alice, come over this crossrail for me!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 50 points to anyone who can guess what discipline i did as a junior/amateur rider
> 
> come talk on twitter, i don't bite @_AMAMOT
> 
> thank you for all the lovely comments! i love that other equestrians have found this! comments feed me!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a shorter chapter but i wanted to get this out so i can keep the idea ball rolling in my brain

At the end of the hot, dusty day, several multicolored ribbons were hanging on the Jericho trailer as the riders cooled their horses down and prepared them for the drive back to the stables. Ralph was hand-walking Arrow, patting her neck and talking to her. Adam was wrapping Snickers’ legs in thick fleecy wraps because of his tendency to kick in the trailer. Markus and North were packing up the various grooming boxes and stray rags around the trailer. Eventually all the riders and horses were packed into the truck and trailer and North started driving towards the exit. She slowed when she saw a tall and lean figure jogging towards the truck.

 

“Hey, Markus. Can I maybe grab your number so we can figure out when I could come volunteer?” Connor asked, standing on the running board of the truck and talking through the open window.

 

“Oh. Uh yeah. Sure, that’d work.” Markus stammered intelligently. Connor’s hair was smushed and floppy from being in his helmet all day and he had gotten a light sunburn on his face. Markus tried not to think about the new freckles the sun would cause as he typed his number into Connor’s phone. “Here. Uh. Good job today, all your riders did great”

 

“Thanks. You guys too.” Connor smiled and waved vaguely to the truck. They held eyes for a moment, Connor leaning against the truck and leaning into it to keep his balance. Markus felt his eyes flick down to the other’s lips, chapped from the sun. 

 

North took this opportunity to lay on the horn, causing Connor to jump back off the truck running board. “Have a good one, Jericrew!”

 

\-----

 

“You’re actually hopeless.” Connor’s twin brother shook his head in disbelief as he helped his brother unload from the horse show.

 

“Niles!”

 

“Con, you’ve had a crush on the guy since we were 13. You got his number, just ask him to get coffee or lunch or go for a trail ride or something. It ain’t rocket science.”

 

“Easy for you to say.” Connor scowled at Niles. His younger (by two minutes) brother had been dating the dressage coach Simon for four years, having met him when they started riding at CyberStables. It was a bit odd for Niles to technically be dating his coach, but he was advanced enough that having a coach was really just a formality.

 

“Hey, I know it can be hard. I just think you should stop pining and do something about it.” Niles gave Dante’s tail a tug to signal the horse to back out of the trailer. “Easy big guy. You’re a good boy”

 

Connor took his horse from his brother, turning on his heel towards the barn. He settled Dante into his stall and checked over the horse’s legs for any swelling and made sure there was no sweat stuck onto his back. Connor stood and leaned against the gelding’s shoulder, staring into space as he thought about what Niles had said. The horse had apparently had enough of being a support because he sidestepped, causing Connor to stumble.

 

“You little devil.” Connor muttered to his horse, remembering again why he was named Dante. He scratched the black mane where the horse had a special scratchy spot. “Everything’s easier for you, huh Dante? You just eat grain and jump over poles all day.”

 

Dante bobbed his head in enjoyment, but it looked like he was agreeing with Connor. Connor pulled out his phone and scrolled to the newest contact. 

 

“Here goes nothing, D” The horse merely flicked his tail, ignoring his owners turmoil.

 

**From: <UNKNOWN NUMBER>**

**Hey, It’s Connor! You busy this week?**

 

“North he doesn’t like me that way! He’s just asking because he wants to volunteer here!”

 

“Yeah, why the hell would Connor Anderson want to volunteer  _ here _ ” North crossed her arms as she leveled Markus with a glare. They were facing off in the wash stall, Blossom flicking her soaking wet tail and spraying them with water droplets.

 

“Well even if he does like me.”   
  
“He does.” Markus whirled around to see Ralph with a shit-eating grin. “Also should I put Arrow back in the pasture or keep her in for the night.”

 

Markus narrowed his eyes before huffing. “Put her out, otherwise she’ll be all wound up tomorrow.”

 

He threw one more glare at North before leading Blossom to her stall. He gave the mare a scratch on the brand on her neck. The mare pushed back against him, like she had done since he had first been able to touch her. Her two colored eyes seemed to bore into him, interrupted by her snorting on him. Markus laughed and gave the mustang one more small shove, leaving her stall. He felt a buzz in his pocket and sat down on his tack trunk to catch up on his notifications. He tried to ignore the lurch in his gut when he saw a text from an unknown number.

 

**To: Maybe: Connor**

**Hey, I’ve got pretty open availability this week. You want to come by the stable?**

 

**> >Save new contact? [y/n]**

 

**From: Connor Anderson**

**I can see the horses anytime, want to get lunch tomorrow?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry again this is so short, truthfully i haven't been likeing anything i've written recently so i just wanted to get this out before i started hating it. thanks for any comments and kudos, they really do fuel me!

Markus could keep his seat on a bucking horse for much longer than the 7 seconds required for most rodeos but was fidgeting constantly on the bench outside of the cafe where he was meeting Connor in a few minutes. North had insisted on taking his late morning lessons so that he could shower and not wear riding clothes to his date. Markus was still sure he was horribly misreading the situation and was overdressed for getting lunch with a friend.

 

“Hey! Sorry I was late, you know horses.” The brunette strode into view not a second later, his hair also wet from a shower and wearing a tailored button down. 

 

“No worries, I just got here.” Markus jumped up and stuck his hand out to shake hands, which Connor laughed at as he embraced the taller man. “Oh-ok.”

 

“Have you been here? It’s a great little spot.” Connor’s brown eyes twinkled as he led them into the cafe. 

 

Connor continued chatting, carrying the conversation as he told Markus the best things to order, talked about his morning lessons, and eventually led them to a window seat with a small table where they waited for their food. Markus was awkwardly looking out the window, trying not to stare at the warm brown eyes across from him. This became impossible when Connor reached over and touched his arm.

 

“Sorry, I talk a lot when i’m nervous.” Connor bit his lip. “Tell me about-”   
  
“Why are you nervous?” Markus blurted out. He felt himself blush as their eyes met again.

 

“Uh. Well I uh.” Connor looked around nervously, hoping their food would come and distract them. He heard his brother’s voice in his ear telling him to just man up and talk about his feelings. “IReallyLikeYou.”

 

Markus blinked several times as he watched Connor’s face flush as the other became very intrigued by his coffee cup. “Dammit, I’m gonna owe North now.” Confusion painted Connor’s face when he finally looked at Markus. “She was convinced that my feelings were requited, I thought you were just being friendly.”   
  
“I-I mean-”   
  
“Connor.” Markus put a shushing finger over the others lips, before pressing a chaste kiss onto them.  He pulled back and winked as he saw the server approaching with their food “Let’s just enjoy this date, yeah?”

 

Connor blushed further and nodded. He listened and ate his lunch as Markus talked about Blossom, his lessons, other students he might take to shows, and other barn woes that Connor could relate to. After two hours of exchanging stories and catching up on the other’s family, Connor’s phone buzzed, signaling that his afternoon lessons would start in a half hour.

 

“Oh wow! I need to get out of here!”   
  
“I should too. So will you come by the barn tomorrow for a sort of orientation before volunteering?”   
  
“It’s a date.” This time it was Connor who left with a tiny kiss and a wink.

 

\------

 

If Markus had swept the barn aisle three times in the last hour, it wasn’t because he was nervous about Connor coming to his barn. Nope, he had missed a spot. North watched him with amusement alongside their barn manager Josh. Markus was obsessively straightening the horses nameplates and brushing the ever-present dust off the schooling saddles when they heard the chime of the front gate being opened and knew that Connor had arrived.

 

A shiny Lexus pulled into the parking area, Connor emerging from the driver’s seat. He was wearing casual clothes yet still had his riding boots peeking out from under the well-fitting jeans. Several students had emerged from the barn and lounge to see the man who had caused their normally relaxed instructor to go into a cleaning frenzy. Markus approached Connor and outstretched a hand to the other, and they walked together into the barn area, ignoring the whispers coming from the students.

 

“Hi North! Josh? Right? Not sure if you remember me.” Connor, ever polite, greeted the others as Markus shot them death glares. 

 

“Of course I do Connor. Your pony bucked me off when we had to do round robin.” Josh replied as North continued waggling her eyebrows suggestively at Markus. “Markus tells me you’re gonna help out a bit here.”   
  


“I am, yeah! You guys have a great program here.”

 

“He’s here for a tour! We’ll be going now!” Markus cut off the conversation and dragged Connor off towards the pastures. “Sorry about them.”   
  
“Markus. It’s fine, I am familiar with barn family dynamics.” Connor laughed again, his eyes and dimples making Markus weak.

 

“Well, either way, you want a tour of the place?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> heyyyyy sorry for somewhat abandoning this
> 
> if i'm being honest i've kinda fallen off the dbh hype train. i'm not sure how much more i'll be writing for this fandom but i don't like to leave stuff unfinished.
> 
> I'm sorry that this is kinda hastily wrapped up but i wanted to get all the plot i originally wanted into this last chapter.

By the time mid-season overall placings came out, Markus and Connor had fallen into a routine of competing, going on little dates, and seeing each other at Jericho. They were tied evenly for overall first place in their division, and they frankly were not worried about the placings. Markus continued showing Blossom and Elijah continued fuming. Connor openly supporting Markus seemed to piss his coach off immensely, so he would occasionally lean over and kiss Markus while they were both on horseback. They continued to dominate the division and Markus was poised to take on Connor for the championship at the end of the season.

 

“Con can you believe it? We’re facing off next weekend for year end finals!” Markus was still shocked when he cooled horses down with Connor that week at his volunteering shift.

 

“I knew you could do it. You’re an amazing rider and you and Blossom have a special connection that shows when you’re in the ring.” Connor said with his killer smile.

 

“Hey. Uh why don’t you spend the night tonight? Carl’s out of town and…” Markus blushed and his voice trailed off and was cut off by Connor’s kiss.

 

\------

 

That night, after Markus had cooked them both a lovely meal and they were dozing off with limbs tangled, they heard the unmistakable shrill whinny of a horse in distress. They threw on sweatpants and rushed to the barn where they saw Blossom pacing, eyes wild and favoring her left hind leg. Josh ran up behind them from his small apartment on premises.

 

“What’s wrong? Is she ok?” He asked worriedly, looking at Markus and not looking the least bit surprised at Connor’s presence.

 

“I’ve never seen her like this.” Markus slipped into the stall with the agitated mare and spoke in hushed tones. “Easy B. You’re ok just let me see your leg.”

 

Markus expertly ran his hands over the fragile legs of the horse. He felt for any swelling, heat or bumps and, sure enough her hock was hot and swollen with a deep cut across it. The other legs were seemingly unharmed. Markus walked around the stall meticulously looking for any sharp object that could have injured her.

 

“It’s her hock. I don’t know how she could have injured herself though.” Markus frowned as he returned to Connor and Josh. “Theres nothing in here that would cut that deep.”

 

“Are you saying someone cut her on purpose?” Connor responded.

  
“I’ll go check the security.” Josh hurried off.

 

“I don’t know why someone would hurt her though.” Markus frowned and Connor felt his heart twist for his lover.

 

“Markus…..you’re an upset contender for the medal championships.” Connor said gently, knowing the dirty play that goes on at championship level. “The final is in a few days.”

 

Josh jogged up “Our burglar alarms were tripped about a half hour ago.” He said grimly.

 

Connor looked at the gash, and back at Markus who had started bandaging the delicate joint. He hated the twisting feeling in his gut that told him he knew what had happened. He hated that there was nothing he could do. 

 

\-----

 

“Well you’ll never guess what I heard!” Elijah said way too gleefully the next day when Connor walked in with Dante for his lesson.

 

“What did you hear.” Connor didn’t have the patience for Elijah’s nonsense right now.

 

“Markus’s cow pony has apparently injured herself” Elijah grinned manically. “Looks like you’ve got less competition for Saturday!”

 

Connor didn’t respond, just turning to start trotting with Dante and thinking of a plan.

 

\-----

 

“Welcome Ladies and Gentleman, ponies and horses of all shapes and sizes to Detroit Local Circuit finals!” The loudspeaker crackled at the fancy stable where the finals were being held “If we could have the Young Professionals Medal class competitors to the registration booth, we have an announcement.”

 

Markus paused as he was saddling Blossom, furrowing his brow as he looked confusedly over at North over the mustang’s back. She only shrugged and took the saddle from him, shooing him towards the booth.

 

“Hey any idea what this is about?” Markus said as he walked up next to Connor, giving his hand a squeeze. They had both agreed to not involve their relationship too much during horse shows.

 

“No idea.” Connor replied, looking down at his boots.

 

“Is this all!? Hello all! So you may be familiar with a round robin class format. Today for the final you will be switching to another competitors horse. You will pick in rank order. Are there any questions?” The ring steward addressed them, before grabbing a clipboard. “Alright. Returning champion first.”

 

She nodded at Connor, who stepped up and took a deep breath. “I’d like to ride Thunder Blossom, Markus Manfred’s usual mount.”

 

\-----

 

“Connor what the hell??” Markus yanked his boyfriend aside after they had chosen their mounts. Markus had chosen to ride Dante, so the two were just switching mounts. “Why would you pick a horse you know might go lame in the middle of the work off?”

 

“She passed her vet check fine, didn’t she?” Connor said, avoiding the question. He knew that Markus had brought his usual vet, Luther with him and that the show vet had also passed Blossom.

 

“Yeah but you know anything can happen, especially with a fresh injury.”   
  
“Well it’s a risk I’m taking.” Connor looked him up and down. “You’ll need shorter stirrups than me, yeah? See you in the warm-up.”

 

Markus was left staring confusedly after Connor walked off. He went over and continued preparing Blossom, lengthening the stirrups because Connor was right. When he and North walked over to the warm up ring where the horse swap was to take place, he wasn’t ashamed to admit he relished the look on Elijah’s face as he handed Blossom’s reins over.

 

“North.”   
  


“Eli.” The two exchanged curt greetings, Elijah’s lip twitching

 

“Good luck.” Connor said with a wink as he walked off with the pinto.

 

Markus immediately felt off when he mounted Dante. Firstly, the horse was a good hand and a half taller than Blossom. His long legs made his gait different and Markus had to adjust his rhythm. This was actually part of the test for this class, seeing how riders would adapt to riding a new horse. He peeked around to see Chloe, the girl a few points behind him in placings, struggling with her new mount. He wasn’t a terribly competitive person but he did know that a win for him could do wonders for Jericho as a stable. He went back to Dante’s floating trot and eventually settled into the new rhythm.

 

“She’s really got a good bounce!” Connor exclaimed as they lined up for the class. He was clearly a bit winded from riding the feisty mare.

 

“She does.” Markus smiled down at him. “And he’s got such smooth stride I almost feel like I’m not working!”

 

“Good luck!”

  
  


Epilogue:

 

Connor and Markus sat at Jericho later that week, Dante having been moved in successfully. They were in the lounge, admiring the blue ribbon and championship trophy with Markus’s name engraved next to Connors from the previously.

 

“So. How’d you know it was Elijah who hurt Blossom?”   
  
“Oh that was easy. But that harder part was convincing the show circuit’s board of trustees to do round robin for the finals.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! hope this wasn't too awful
> 
> come find me on twitter @_AMAMOT


End file.
